Chilton, with Fish
by Triptych
Summary: WARNING: Mature Content. Genius and serial killer Hannibal Lecter exacts a horrifying revenge against his former tormentor, Dr. Frederick Chilton.


**Disclaimer: ** This is a fanfiction work based on the novels Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal, all written by Thomas Harris. All characters are the property of the author.

**Chilton, with Fish**

**By BH**

  When people are not too familiar with classical music, they tend to lump it into one category. Ask someone unfamiliar with it and upon hearing it they may tell you its Mozart or Beethoven. It takes a certain kind of person to appreciate classical music, since the advent of rock and roll, classical music has been relegated to its niche market: lovers of classical art and the older generation. In today's fast paced world, it takes a trained and patient mind to discern the myriad falsettos and numerous cords of an entire orchestra. Those unfamiliar with it tend not to notice and feel that they all sound the same.

  As Dr. Frederick Chilton began to regain consciousness, the first thing that he sensed, since he dared not open his eyes, was the classical music which wafted through along with a slight tropical breeze in the room he was in. The music was in fact Bach's _Goldberg Variations_, but due to his differing tastes and upbringing, Chilton didn't have a clue at all about it.

  Despite the fact that he was already awake for a quarter of an hour, Chilton knew he was a prisoner. He had made several involuntary shudders as he tried to feel himself out not too long after he regained consciousness. Chilton realized that he was bound onto an upright chair of some sort. His head was immobilized by what he felt was a neck brace so that he would be unable to look down or twist his head to a certain degree. 

  _Is my neck broken?_ Chilton thought as he tried to discern why he was wearing a brace. He was also unable to feel his legs or anything below his arms in fact. What Chilton did remember is that he fell asleep in his cottage on the beach overlooking the Caribbean for it was his vacation, his first since that scandal in Memphis when all hell broke loose. Chilton was to go into Federal Protective Custody not long after but he had decided to take one little vacation. After all, being in the relocation program was pretty much like a prison and he needed one last ounce of freedom before he went into permanent exile. Oh how he regretted that now.

  More of his senses returned now. Chilton could feel once again the breeze coming from the ocean. It was certain that he was in a beach house of some kind. Perhaps there might even be people nearby and if he would just scream loud enough they would come to his rescue. This though entered his mind and was quickly expunged for all he could hear was the slight crashing of the surf and the soft, classical music that drifted into the room. Of his sense of smell he could sense a myriad of scents, fresh cut flowers and tropical fruits assaulted his nostrils. There was also a slight residue of an acidic-like chemical on the tip of his nose. _Chloroform?_ Was that how he was sedated and then taken prisoner?

  As the minutes passed, Chilton's sense of curiosity overcame his dread and he opened his eyes into tiny slits, just enough to give himself a dim vision of his surroundings but hopefully not to raise alarms that he was awake.

  So far, his other senses told him he was right. It seemed that he was propped up on a large wooden chair, his arms bound tightly onto the massive wooden armrests with duct tape. The room that he was in was quite huge; it seemed to be a dining room overlooking the ocean. By watching the fading yellow sun descending into the horizon he guessed that it was early evening. Long tan colored drapes were spread out at the sides of the massive windows which allowed the fading sun's rays to cast long shadows into the cavernous dining room.

  Although Chilton could not quite look down he could see that the dining table's silk tablecloth matched the drapes rather perfectly. There was also a table set for two. The silverware was polished to the point where even the dying sun's ray's amplified the sparkle on the silver like a beam of heaven. Large bouquets of flowers seemed to limit his vision for it had covered the other side of the room. Facing the plates and silverware were two unlighted candles on silver candleholders. 

  There was also a polished candelabrum of pure silver that was propped up by the bouquets. It faced him and it acted as a mirror that reflected the state of his fear. As Chilton looked at his own eyes staring back at him from the impromptu mirror, he noticed that at the corner of the reflection stood a dark-haired man with maroon eyes. It was so sudden that he realized that he wasn't alone that Chilton instantly let out a shriek.

  "Ah, so you are awake now." The other man said as he crossed over behind Chilton and faced him.

  Chilton was at a loss for words. Although the man looked slightly different, he knew it was none other than Doctor Hannibal Lecter.

  "I have been observing you for quite awhile now, shall we begin?" The man smiled and showed his perfect, little white teeth to Chilton.

  "L-Lecter." Chilton could barely form the words out of his mouth.

  "The one and only. But then again, I'm sure you must have surmised that the moment you came back into consciousness." The maroon eyes of Lecter seemed as red as blood in the shadow of the Caribbean sunset.

  "How?"

  "Oh it was quite easy I'm afraid my dear Chilton. When I was incarcerated in the hospital not too long ago, I remember overhearing you specifically telling Barney that you had planned to take a vacation in the Bahamas when you got the chance. All I had to do was make a few phone calls and since you were quite stupid enough to use your mother's maiden name for the hotel reservations, why, I knew I had to have you for _dinner_."

  Chilton's voice was hoarse but he tried his best to sound as sweet as possible. "Dr. Lecter, please, you are free now. I know you feel that I may have caused you some distress in the past but don't you think your freedom now more than makes up for any misunderstanding between us?"

  "Do you remember an interview that you gave to the Journal of Psychiatry and they asked a question about me? You mentioned that I was a complete psychopath and a poor imitation of Albert Fish."

  "Albert Fish?"

  "Come, come my dear Chilton. I'm quite sure we all know who Albert Fish is? He was the one serial killer you said that I just wanted to imitate."

  "Now, Lecter, I-"

  Lecter continued without even listening. "Albert Fish; arrested on December of 1934 and charged with the murder and cannibalism of little Grace Budd. Everyone who has studied abnormal psychology with regards to serial killers has read about him I'm sure."

  Chilton said nothing as his mouth just gaped.

  "Did you know that he even wrote a letter to Grace's dear mother with all the details of what he did to her?" Lecter went on as he recalled the letter from his perfect memory. "Let me read you an excerpt: '_First I stripped her naked. How she did kick- as well as bite and scratch. I choked her to death, then cut her in small pieces so I could take my meat to my rooms. Cook and eat it. How sweet and tender was her little ass when it roasted in the oven. It took me nine days to eat her entire body_.' Amusing, isn't it?"

  "Lecter, please, I beg you." Chilton moaned.

  "Sush, sush." Lecter quieted Chilton with a wave of his hand. "In the letter he even explains how he got interested in cannibalism: _'In 1894 a friend of mine shipped as a deck hand on the Steamer Tacoma, Captain John Davis. They sailed from San Francisco fro Hong Kong in China. On arriving there he and two others went ashore and got drunk. When they returned the boat was gone. At that time there was a famine in China. Meat of any kind was from one to three dollars a pound. So great was the suffering among the very poor that all children under twelve were sold for food in order to keep others from starving. A boy or girl under fourteen was not safe in the street. You could go in any shop and ask for steak-chops- or stew meat. Part of a naked body of a boy or girl would be brought out and just what you wanted cut from it. A boy or girls behind is the sweetest part of the body and sold as veal cutlet brought the highest price_.' Quite extraordinary isn't it?"

  Chilton was crying now.

  "Acquiring a taste for human flesh just from hearing a story? Now that is quite remarkable." Lecter chuckled as he went on. "Let me dictate the last part: '_John stayed there so long he acquired a taste for human flesh. On his return to New York he stole two boys one 7 and one 11. Took them to his home, stripped them naked and tied then in a closet. Then burned everything they had on. Several times every day and night he spanked them-tortured them- to make their meat good and tender. First he killed the 11-year old boy, because he had the fattest ass and of course was cooked and eaten except the head- bones and guts. He was roasted in the oven, boiled, broiled, fried and stewed. The little boy was next, went the same way. He told me so often how good human flesh was I made up my mind to taste it_.' How interesting."

  Chilton somehow regained his composure. "W-what do you want of me?"

  "What do I want? How about a bargain? Since you so graciously insulted my character by comparing me to this derelict, you will be forced to eat what he loved so much." With that, Lecter disappeared behind the drapes for a brief moment before wheeling in a dining cart.

  Chilton could smell the broiled meat as Lecter placed a casserole on the dining table. With surprising speed and technique, Lecter removed the top of the casserole to expose a cut of dark meat, its juices still simmering along the sides. The meaty aroma spread itself onto Chilton's nostrils and he thought he was going to be sick. Lecter also fired up his burners and began with butter on his copper saucepan.

  "Whose meat is that?" Chilton asked as he looked on incredulously.

  "A poor fool whom I saw walking along the beach." Lecter answered as he spooned some of the meat drippings into the saucepan and deglazed them with some red wine.

  "A-and if I eat that, you will let me live?" Chilton asked. There was a slight chance that he might live to see another day. It was a bargain he was willing to live with.

  "Let's just say I will take your pleadings under consideration." Lecter said as he added fresh raspberries into the saucepan.

  Without further words, Lecter sliced several morsels from the casserole and placed it onto Chilton's plate. He then added the sweet raspberry sauce in a nice pattern around the meat cuts, then placed a small salad of greens on the side with a lemon vinaigrette sauce from his condiment bowls. He also produced another matching dinner plate and did the exact same thing.

  "Obviously since you can't move, I will have to feed you." Lecter smiled as he cut a small portion of the dark red meat and made the fork hover over Chilton's mouth.

  Chilton made his choice. He ate the morsel. He nearly retched as he tried to swallow it but when he saw the flash of anger in the maroon colored eyes staring back at him, Chilton swallowed.

  "That's better." Lecter said as he alternated in feeding himself and helping out his bound prisoner to eat.

  For the next half an hour, Lecter would sometimes stop giving Chilton a mouthful in order to savor the dish himself as well as imbibing a glass of chilled _Batard-Montrachet_. As he tried to think it away and continue eating Chilton began to actually appreciate the soft meat as it was so perfectly cooked that it would just melt into his mouth. The sweet raspberry sauce actually made it more palatable and Chilton would imagine that he was eating the best rump roast his money could buy.

  Finally, although he wished to deny it, Chilton finished his dinner. Attempting to lean back in order to digest his meal, Chilton inadvertently made a loud burp.

  "My, my. If I may say Dr. Chilton, I think you might have actually enjoyed that." Lecter laughed.

  Chilton smiled despite his obvious unease. "Yes I did, Dr. Lecter. I must commend you on your cooking skills."

  "Why thank you Dr. Chilton. You know, if the circumstances were different we could have been very good friends."

  "It may not be too late for that Lecter. If you will let me go now, and I did my part of the bargain if I may remind you, I could be your eyes and ears, I'll inform you of the latest news in the FBI's search for you."

  "Are you offering your services to me Dr. Chilton?" Lecter began to snicker.

  "Why not? I swear I will never tell anyone I met you here. I could even help you kidnap Starling so you may eat her." Chilton upped the ante.

  Lecter stood up and lifted his wineglass. "I'm afraid that might be a little tough for you my dear Dr. Chilton."

  "What do you mean by that?" Chilton was clearly confused now.

  "I mean, how can I let you go? You can't just walk out of this place in your condition you know." As he finished those words, Lecter removed Chilton's neck brace so he could at last look below.

  As Chilton looked down at his legs he noticed that they were missing. In fact, there were stumps where his legs would have been. Blood oozed from the bandages. A small IV drip poked out from his thigh and was taped to the chair. That's why he couldn't feel his legs.

  "Yes, I amputated your legs below the thigh and I took quite a bit of your _rump_ as well. I thought your ass would be as hard as stone but I actually found it to be quite soft and chewy. Even you yourself said so." Lecter said.

  As Chilton began to scream, Hannibal Lecter poured himself another glass of that excellent wine. 


End file.
